Armadale (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) [NOOK Book]

Overview

This 1866 novel tells of two men who share a name and a tragic, violent history. The father of one murdered the father of the other; now the two sons seem fated by destiny—or the machinations of a beautiful but evil woman—to repeat this deadly history.

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Overview

This 1866 novel tells of two men who share a name and a tragic, violent history. The father of one murdered the father of the other; now the two sons seem fated by destiny—or the machinations of a beautiful but evil woman—to repeat this deadly history.

More by this Author

William Wilkie Collins (1824–1889) was considered the “godfather” of the detective novel. His “sensation novels” brought Collins great popularity in the Victorian era. He also focused on serious social and domestic issues. Collins published thirty novels (including The Woman in White), more than sixty short stories, and over a dozen plays, in addition to numerous nonfiction pieces.

Biography

Wilkie Collins has long been overshadowed by his friend and collaborator Charles Dickens -- unfortunately for readers who have consequently not discovered one of literature's most compelling writers. His novels are ceremonious and none too brief; they are also irresistible. Take the opening lines of his 1852 story of marital deceit, Basil: "What am I now about to write? The history of little more than the events of one year, out of the twenty-four years of my life. Why do I undertake such an employment as this? Perhaps, because I think that my narrative may do good; because I hope that, one day, it may be put to some warning use." It's a typical Collins opening, one that draws the reader in with a tone that's personal, but carries formality and import.

With his long, frizzy black beard and wide, sloping forehead, Collins looked like a grandfatherly type, even in his 30s. But his thinking and lifestyle were unconventional, even a bit ahead of his time. His characters (particularly the women) have a Henry Jameslike predilection for bucking social mores, and he occasionally found his work under attack by morality-mongers. Collins was well aware of his books' potential to offend certain Victorian sensibilities, and there is evidence in some of his writings that he was prepared for it, if not welcoming of it. He writes in the preface to Armadale, his 1866 novel about a father's deathbed murder confession, "Estimated by the clap-trap morality of the present day, this may be a very daring book. Judged by the Christian morality which is of all time, it is only a book that is daring enough to speak the truth."

Collins began his career by writing his painter father's biography. He gained popularity when he began publishing stories and serialized novels in Dickens's publications, Household Words and All the Year Round. His best-known works are The Woman in White and The Moonstone, both of which -- along with Basil -- have been made into films.

Collins often alludes to fantastic, supernatural happenings in his stories; the events themselves are usually borne out by reasonable explanations. What remains are the electrifying effects one human being can have upon another, for better and for worse. His main characters are often described in terms such as "remarkable," "extraordinary," and "singular," lending their actions -- and thereby the story -- a special urgency. In one of his great successes, 1860's The Woman in White, Collins spins what is basically a magnificent con story into something almost ghostly: The fates of two look-alike women -- a beautiful, well-off woman and a poor insane-asylum escapee -- are intertwined and manipulated by two evil men. One of those is among the best fictional villains ever created, the kill-‘em-with-kindness Count Fosco. Fosco is emblematic of another Collins hallmark -- antagonists who manage to throw their victims off guard by some powerful charm of personality or appearance.

The Moonstone, published in 1868, is regarded by many to be the first English detective novel. Starring the unassuming Sergeant Cuff, it follows the trail of a sought-after yellow diamond from India that has fallen into the wrong hands. Like The Woman in White, the novel is told in multiple first person narratives that display Collins's gift for distinctive and often humorous voices. Whether it is servants, foreigners, or the wealthy, Collins is an equal-opportunity satirist who quietly but deftly pokes fun at human foibles even as he draws nuanced, memorable characters.

Though The Woman in White and The Moonstone are Collins's standouts, he had a productive, consistent career; the novels Armadale, No Name and Poor Miss Finch are worthwhile reads, and his short stories will particularly appeal to Edgar Allan Poe fans. Fortunately in the case of this underappreciated writer, there are plenty of titles to appreciate.

Good To Know

Collins studied law, and though he never practiced as a lawyer, his knowledge of the subject is evident in his fiction. He also apprenticed with a tea merchant in his pre-publication years.

He was addicted to laudanum, a form of opium that he used to treat his pain from rheumatic gout.

Collins never married, but he had a long-term live-in relationship with one woman, and a second romance that produced three children.

He is named after popular artist Sir David Wilkie; both his parents were painters who counted Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth among their friends.

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Anonymous

Posted August 11, 2006

Wilkie Collins' All-Time Best Novel

After reading The Woman in White, No Name and The Moonstone, I became a huge Wilkie Collins fan. I, too, stumbled on this book by accident and read it out of my appreciation for his writing style and the way Collins works up a good drama. I was not disappointed. This book has the best writing and most-developed plot as compared to his other novels. It kept me on the edge of my seat and reading long after I should have gone to bed. It is a long read (thank goodness) and I was sorely disappointed when the story finally came to a conclusion. If I could only be so lucky as to find another book as enjoyable as this one.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted April 9, 2010

I Also Recommend:

Armadale is no Woman in White

Sadly, this was pretty bad. Written mostly as a diary, there wasn't enough dialogue between characters. Too much description, diary reading. Strange, because when Collins was dying and couldn't finish his last novel "Blind Love" he asked another author to finish it for him with lots of dialogue. My recommendations are the first in a series of mysteries.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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GREAT BOOK

After reading the Moonstone and Woman in White I became a huge Wilkie Collins fan. The storyline is amazing and quite thick. Its a little long due to the fact that it was first published as a serial work but it's worth it and the ending is quite explosive and satisfying.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted July 2, 2001

great book!!

I stumpled accross this book and bought it by chance, I began to read it as a challenge due to it's length and style but found after the first few pages utterly engaging. I think the most beautiful aspect of this book is the authors character construction, it is timeless and empathetic and very intellegent. One of the best books I have honestly ever read with an intriguing facinating plot.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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